


Sunday Morning Space Ride

by gravitropism



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dogs, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 05:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12358782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gravitropism/pseuds/gravitropism
Summary: Getting a dog is probably the best decision Jongdae has ever made.





	Sunday Morning Space Ride

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nyu96](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyu96/gifts).



> happy birthday 2k17 marine!!! you asked for cute and fluffy dogs and chensoo, you are getting cute and fluffy dogs and chensoo. prepare yourself and i hope you have/had a good day!!!
> 
> Title from Hyper Potions and Stephen Walking's Saturday Morning Space Ride.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Jongdae takes a couple of deep, slow breaths. “I think I’m ready to take the next step in adulthood,” he says to himself.

A woman passing by on the sidewalk gives him a strange look and a wide berth. Jongdae doesn’t really mind, though, because today might become one of the best days of his life.

He opens the door to the shelter, and steps inside. Immediately he’s greeted by a thankfully clean scent, and the sound of barking dogs. Today is the day Jongdae gets himself a puppy.

It’s a pretty big step, you know. Jongdae had a dog when he was little, and while he was responsible for walking it every now and then, that is hardly comparable to being responsible for a dog’s life all on his own. He’s getting close to thirty, he has his own condo now (that thankfully allows pets), and he thinks he’s ready to take care of another life besides the Jade plant that has been sitting on his kitchen table for the past couple years.

“Can I help you?” a smiling woman says, moving out from around a counter. “Are you looking to adopt today?”

Jongdae nearly brings his hands up over his heart, because bless lovely animal shelter employees. “Yeah, I think I want a puppy, if you guys have any?” he says, only a little hesitantly.

The woman nods. “We have quite a few, if you want to take a look.” She gestures towards the door leading to the kennels. “Want to have a look?”

“Yes, please,” Jongdae says, folding his hands in front of him.

“Sure,” the woman beams, and leads him through the door.

Jongdae is nearly overwhelmed by the cuteness. There are fluffy dogs, and small dogs, and honestly Jongdae just wants all of them. But he’s kind of here for a puppy, so he follows the woman to the back where the puppies are apparently kept.

There are plenty of puppies to look at, and all of them are so cute... Jongdae has no idea how he’ll choose. He hunkers down next to one of the kennels, and a very small puppy, maybe a Chihuahua? comes up and nips at his fingers. Cute, but not exactly what he was looking for. He wants a fluffy pupper.

“See anything you like?” the woman asks, reaching down to pat one of the puppies herself. 

Jongdae glances around. “Is that dog a mother?” he asks, pointing at a clearly adult dog.

The woman’s eyes light up. “Yes, she is! All of her puppies have been adopted but one, I think, if you’d like to take a look?”

“I guess so, yeah,” Jongdae says, and the woman opens the pen so he can go in. At first glance, he can’t see the puppy, but when he sits down to pet the mother, a ball of fluff pokes its head out from behind her.

Oh my. The puppy has shockingly blue eyes, and beautiful grey, black, brown, and white fur. “What kind of dog is this?” he asks, holding out a tentative hand.

“Australian Shepherd,” the woman says, closing the pen behind her and giving the mother dog a few scratches behind the ear. “Gorgeous, aren’t they?”

“Very,” Jongdae agrees, and as he watches, the puppy sniffs at his hand, barks once (so! cute!), and immediately bowls its way over and leaps into his lap.

Needless to say, Jongdae’s heart melts straight out of his chest and onto the floor. He cups its face in his hands, and it wriggles, then looks into his eyes and pants happily.

“Oh my god,” Jongdae whispers. He’s enamored.

The woman laughs. “I’ll let you take some time to play with him. I’m in the front if you need me,” she says, and steps back through the door.

Half an hour later Jongdae is covered in puppy slobber but is also very determined. He carefully gives the puppy back to its mom (he’s sad that he has to part the two, but he’s ready to take the momma’s place as his puppy’s parent), and walks back out into the front room.

“I’m going to be adopting the Aussie puppy,” he says firmly, and the woman looks like she’s going to laugh at him again, but he really doesn’t care. Cute puppy is cute puppy and it will be his.

“I had a feeling you would,” she says, and pushes a tissue box towards him. “Need to clean up a little?”

“Thanks,” Jongdae says reverently, and grabs a few tissues to mop up the saliva.

The woman pulls some papers out from underneath the counter. “Right, I’m going to need you to fill these out, and also I need your ID. I have all of the vet’s paperwork in a folder for you; you’ll need that to get a license. He’s not sexually mature yet, obviously, so you’ll need to get him sterilized eventually. Adoption fee is $250, is that alright?”

Jongdae nods, and pulls out his wallet, handing her his driver’s license and a credit card. “So I take him home today?” he says as he fills out the papers with the provided pen.

“Yep!” the woman says cheerfully. “You’ll probably want to buy food, dishes, and all that.”

Jongdae runs a hand through his hair. “I kind of already did?” he says sheepishly. “I was really excited.”

“I can tell,” the woman says with a smile.

Half an hour later Jongdae is driving a sleeping puppy home from the shelter. Definitely one of the best days of his life so far.

\--

Jongdae decides to name his puppy Tteok, after his legs’ similarity to Korean rice cakes.

Taking care of Tteok is a little more difficult than Jongdae anticipated. He realizes that he hadn’t been the one who had to take his childhood dog out to pee at night, which is a little bit of an issue, as he finds that he’s now running on 5 hours of sleep. But a puppy pad and a pen on a hardwood floor seems to be doing the trick when he’s away at work.

When he gets home, he cleans up, feeds Tteok, and then they play for hours on end. Jongdae realizes one night that he has even forgotten to eat dinner himself.

So obviously Tteok is the best thing that has ever happened to him.

\--

One Sunday morning Jongdae decides that Tteok has enough energy now to go on a walk in the park about a mile away from his condo, so he fits his puppy into his collar and leash, and they make their way over. The grass is still a little dewy, so Tteok will probably need a bath when they get home, but that’s okay. Jongdae finds himself not minding much because fuck, who could ever say no to Tteok’s adorable little face?

He’s walking casually along the path when Tteok encounters his first squirrel. The leash is jerked from Jongdae’s unsuspecting hand, and Tteok takes off.

Jongdae panics, but runs after him. For a puppy, Tteok is surprisingly fast. Jongdae is more than a little proud, but he would really like to catch him.

As he watches, still running, Tteok suddenly veers off his squirrel-oriented path, and sprints across a patch of grass, stopping at another man’s feet. Jongdae, chest heaving, slows down to a walk, seeing as Tteok doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere. In fact, he seems pretty content when the man stops walking to lean down and pat him.

_Holy shit._ Who is this beautiful man petting his dog? It’s sort of like an angel has come down to Earth to bless his little pupper. Jongdae walks up, doing his best not to surprise the guy.

“Who do you belong to, little buddy?” the man says, now scratching behind Tteok’s ears. Tteok is very pleased by this, and rolls over onto his back so the man can scratch his tummy. Too fucking cute (the man or the dog, you ask? Both, Jongdae decides).

Jongdae coughs. “Hi, yes, sorry about that,” he says, stopping in front of the man, who has crouched down and is indeed dutifully doling out belly rubs. “He’s my dog.”

The man looks up, and holy-fucking-shit oh my god he is beautiful. Thick black hair in an undercut, big eyes, and lips that have only before existed in Jongdae’s dreams. “Oh, hi,” he says. “What’s your dog’s name?”

“Tteok,” Jongdae helpfully supplies, a little incoherent. “Mine is Jongdae, just, you know, in case you were wondering.”

“Mm,” the man says, now very involved in giving Tteok the best petting session he’s had today. Jongdae is a little jealous (of his dog? Surely not). “I’m Kyungsoo.” He’s dressed up pretty nice for it being a Sunday morning, and Jongdae is starting to feel a little self-conscious in his track pants (albeit the nice ones that hug your legs from calves to ankles) and an old sweatshirt.

Jongdae stares at him. This is a little awkward, but you know what? That’s okay. “Um. Do you like dogs, then?” he asks.

“Yes,” Kyungsoo replies, and doesn’t say anything else. He’s still very involved in petting Tteok, who is now licking at his fingers. That’s okay. Jongdae can work with this.

“Do you have a dog?” he tries asking.

This time, Kyungsoo at least looks up. “Oh. No, I don’t. My apartment complex doesn’t allow pets.”

Jongdae makes a sympathetic grimace. “That’s a shame. I’m happy to share mine, in the meantime,” he says, crouching down as well, and patting Tteok’s head. Tteok’s ears perk up, and he pants happily.

“He likes you better,” Kyungsoo says, still speaking in a solemn tone. He’s so goddamn beautiful, but so serious, and Jongdae couldn’t think of a better combination.

“Well, I am his owner?” Jongdae reasons. He’s got this weird feeling where he wishes Tteok liked Kyungsoo more, just so he could see Kyungsoo smile.

“I guess,” Kyungsoo says, and goes back to carefully scratching around Tteok’s nose. “You’re very cute,” he says.

“Um,” Jongdae says.

Kyungsoo looks up, and are his ears turning red? “The dog, not you,” he says, and yes, that is indeed a blush spreading across his face. His eyes widen suddenly. “No, wait. I’m not saying you aren’t cute, but. No.” He ducks his head. “Dammit,” he says quietly. His ears are flaming red now, and Jongdae is weak.

He makes an unintelligible noise, and Kyungsoo abruptly stands up. “It was nice meeting you, Jongdae,” he says stiffly, cheeks still red. “Maybe we’ll see each other again.” He turns and walks away, rather quickly.

Mouth open, Jongdae watches him go. Tteok scrambles to his feet, ready to chase after the nice man who had given him so many good pets, but this time Jongdae is faster and grabs onto the handle of the leash before he can escape. For a split second he thinks about just letting go, so Tteok can chase Kyungsoo down again, but he stops himself. That wouldn’t be polite.

\--

When he gets home, he really starts to regret not at least getting a last name, or something. Kyungsoo had told him that he hoped they would meet again, but in a city this large, how likely is it that they see each other again?

And Jongdae really wants to see Kyungsoo again. There was something very charming about Kyungsoo’s serious personality juxtaposed with his wonderful face, and Jongdae wants to get to know him better. Actually, Jongdae would love to take him on a date, but again he doesn’t have any way of contacting Kyungsoo, so he supposes that Kyungsoo will just become one of life’s unsolved mysteries.

\--

On Wednesday Jongdae remembers that he has human friends. With Tteok sleeping on his lap after a long walk, he pulls out his phone to text Baekhyun.

_hi baek_

It takes about thirty seconds for him to get a reply.

_JONGDAE KIM U COCKHOLE_

_sorry?_

_AS YOUR BEST FUCKING FRIEND I DEMAND TO KNOW WHY YOUVE BEEN IGNORING ME FOR TWO WEEKS YOU SHITHEAD_

_lol calm down i got a dog_

Jongdae puts his phone down for a moment to stroke down Tteok’s nose. His ear twitches in his sleep, and Jongdae nearly cries because cute.

_first of all_   
_that is no reason to ignore me_

Jongdae takes a picture of Tteok lying on his lap and sends it off, no caption. Baekhyun’s reply takes a couple minutes.

_nevermind_   
_so what’s up_

Jongdae smiles.

_well first of all Tteok is the best thing that has ever happened to me_

_as ur best friend i’m a little offended but go on_

_don’t worry you’re second best_   
_but story time_

_still offended but okay spill_

Chewing on his lower lip, Jongdae thinks about how to phrase this.

_i was walking tteok in the park on sunday and i met a cute guy_   
_i say cute more like goddamn beautiful_   
_like no seriously beautiful_

_ooh this is going well im happy for you did u get his number_

_no he ran off embarrassed before i could ask_   
_i was sad_

_jeez what did u do to him_

_i think he kinda did it to himself? idk it was all very sudden but he liked tteok_

_sucks_   
_did u at least get his name_

This Jongdae does indeed know.

_yea it was kyungsoo_   
_shame i’ll never see him again_

_wait_   
_what_   
_i know a kyungsoo do_   
_what did he look like_

Jongdae blinks. What in hell.

_uhh black hair undercut, big eyes nice lips?_

_was he super awkward_

_lol yes_

_haHA its probably the kyungsoo i know then_   
_should i text him and see_   
_or maybe i could just give you his number_

_yes please_

Baekhyun texts him the contact for ‘Kyungsoo Do,’ and then sends:

_im pretty sure he doesnt want me to give out his personal info but_   
_honestly yall deserve to be happy so_

_baek i take it back you’re my favorite_   
_thank you man_   
_i wont fuck this up_

_yea u better not_   
_while ksoo is awkward hes a precious soul that needs to be protected_

Jongdae goes to bed with a smile on his face.

\--

When he initially texts Kyungsoo, it takes a while for him to reply, but Jongdae supposes that’s only natural, as it’s pretty weird to suddenly have a stranger you met in the park text you. Especially if you didn’t give said stranger your number.

_hi kyungsoo! u probably don’t remember me but_   
_you pet my dog in the park_

_Baekhyun gave you my number._

_yeah haha we’re like best friends_

_Your dog’s name was Tteok. I can’t remember yours, sorry._

Jongdae sighs. He expected that.

_that’s fine! my name is jongdae :)_

_Jongdae. Why are you texting me?_

Jongdae frowns.

_do you want me to stop? sorry..._

_No that’s fine. I’m just wondering why you want to text me._

Oh, okay. That’s a little better.

_you called me cute and ran off before i got a chance to tell you that you’re beautiful :(_

It takes a while for Kyungsoo to reply this time. Jongdae sits there looking at his phone, waiting, but no message comes, so he puts it down and ambles into his kitchen. Tteok scampers after him, panting, so Jongdae refills his water dish and then grabs himself a snack. Yoghurt, because there’s nothing like probiotics!

By the time he gets back to his seat on the couch (Tteok manages to hop up next to him and rests his head on Jongdae’s thigh), there’s a reply.

_You_   
_Jongdae you’re not allowed to say that to people_

Jongdae giggles, definitely fucking giggles. Not only is Kyungsoo cute, but he’s also cute.

_but i just did?_   
_so you do think i’m cute right?_

_I’m going to kill Baekhyun. I’m sorry, I know he’s a friend of yours, but he has to die._

_not only are you beautiful, you’re cute too :)_

_Oh my god._   
_Thank you, though_   
_So why are you texting me, actually?_

_well i did want to tell you that you’re beautiful_   
_but i also kind of wanted to ask you on a date?_

Jongdae holds his breath, crosses his fingers, and rubs Tteok’s head for good luck. Tteok responds by licking his fingers.

_Oh you did?_   
_We barely know each other_

That’s... not the response Jongdae was hoping for, but it’s not the worst case scenario. Kyungsoo hasn’t totally rejected him yet, so he still has a chance. He can work with this.

_but we both know baekhyun, so that has to count for something_   
_plus i have a cute dog so i can’t be a creep_

_That is definitely not how that works, but you have a point. I’ve never met a creep with a cute dog_   
_And I’m not sure if being friends with Baekhyun is a quality I want in the people I meet_   
_But I would be okay with having coffee_

Jongdae fist-pumps, and Tteok leaps at his fist.

\--

They meet up at a coffee shop in the neighborhood—it turns out that Jongdae lives fairly close to Kyungsoo, which would probably explain why he saw him in the park that one time. It’s a nice day, a little brisk, and a bit cloudy, but tolerable.

Kyungsoo’s face falters a little bit when Jongdae walks up to him. “Something wrong?” Jongdae asks, more than a little worried. If he’s forcing Kyungsoo to be here, that isn’t something he wants.

“Oh. Um, no?” Kyungsoo says quietly. “I, uh. Was just hoping you would bring your dog.”

Jongdae lets out a peal of laughter, which puts a small smile back on Kyungsoo’s face. “I should have guessed,” he says, sitting down across from Kyungsoo at the small table. “You really like him, huh?”

“Of course I do!” Kyungsoo says, eyes wide. “Oh, but I’m not just here for your dog, you’re nice, too,” he says a little too loud, and the blush races across his cheeks again. He looks down at his hands.

“Thank you,” Jongdae says, grinning. He’s decided that he’ll do his best to ignore Kyungsoo’s signs of embarrassment, because he thinks that if he pointed them out, it would just make him even shyer. “Want me to go order for us?”

Kyungsoo nods. “Latte for me, please.”

“Sure,” Jongdae says, and when he comes back, Kyungsoo is avidly staring out the window. When he looks, there’s a cute poodle sitting there as its owner has a conversation.

Kyungsoo does, however, focus his attention back on Jongdae when he sits down. “Sorry,” he says. “I really like dogs.”

“I can tell,” Jongdae says, grinning. He wriggles around in his seat a little to get comfortable. “Did you ever have one when you were younger?”

“Yeah, my parents had a small white dog, but it died when I was twelve,” Kyungsoo says. “I’m 29 now and I haven’t had a dog since.”

Jongdae nods his head knowingly. “I’m basically in the same situation, but I just got a dog.”

“Can I have your life?” Kyungsoo says, so seriously, that Jongdae doesn’t realize that it’s a joke until he lifts an eyebrow.

“You’re serious, but funny at the same time, and I think it’s great,” Jongdae giggles.

“People sometimes tell me I’m too serious,” Kyungsoo replies, looking down at his hands, which are on the table. “I don’t know if they mean it in a bad way or not.”

Jongdae frowns. “I’m not sure, but they probably only think that because they haven’t seen you around dogs,” he says, and reaches across the table to link their fingers. Kyungsoo looks up and meets his eyes, and his eyes are wide. “I think you just need the right complement to your soul, or something.”

“I...” Kyungsoo blinks a few times. “Yeah. Thank you. You’re... really something, Jongdae.”

“I try,” Jongdae says with a grin.

\--

They walk out of the coffee shop with their hands linked. Jongdae is full of both coffee and the bubbly feeling he has from talking to Kyungsoo, and he’s not sure what he wants to do next.

“Want to come to my apartment?” he blurts out, and winces. Kyungsoo looks at him with a shocked look on his face. “Not to have sex, oh my god! To pet my dog,” he says hurriedly. “I just thought you might like to.”

To Jongdae’s relief, Kyungsoo relaxes, and smiles, and there goes Jongdae’s heart again. It really needs to stop doing that. “I’d like that, yes. Please take me to your apartment so I can pet your dog.”

Jongdae’s apartment luckily isn’t too far away. “Careful, he might run at us when I open the door,” he says as he brings out his keys.

“I’m actually okay with that,” Kyungsoo says absentmindedly.

“You say that now,” Jongdae grumbles as he opens the door, “But when he gets bigger, it isn’t going to be as cute.”

Tteok does indeed rush up, and prances around their ankles, barking. Kyungsoo immediately ducks down to pet him. “Hi, buddy,” he says quietly, and Jongdae smiles.

“You can come in, you know,” he says, removing his jacket and shoes. “I’m sure petting Tteok on my couch will be a lot more comfortable.”

“Right,” Kyungsoo says, looking up. He scoops Tteok up into his arms, and Tteok wriggles happily and licks his face. Fuck, Kyungsoo is cute.

After removing his shoes, Kyungsoo follows Jongdae into his living room, and takes a careful seat on his sofa next to him. Tteok is apparently very glad to see him again.

“So, tell me more about your work?” Jongdae tries, turning himself slightly to face Kyungsoo. It’s a little effort to get him to talk, Jongdae has found, but once Kyungsoo starts talking about something he’s passionate about, he’ll keep going for a while. Earlier in the coffee shop, he talked for five minutes straight about Shakespeare.

“I work with Baekhyun, as he’s probably told you,” Kyungsoo says, “But he’s the one who does the interesting stuff, the actual software development. I’m just in accounting.” Tteok laps at his fingers, and he scratches behind his ears.

“Do you like what you do?” Jongdae asks, reaching over to stroke Tteok’s back. His tail goes into overdrive, clearly happy to have two! people! petting! him!

“I like numbers, and I like making everything work,” Kyungsoo says quietly. “But it’s not particularly interesting.”

“If you like it, does it matter if it’s interesting or not?” Jongdae asks. “It may not be interesting to other people, but if you like your job and you can support yourself, it really doesn’t matter.”

Kyungsoo looks over at him, chewing on his lip. “Why are you so nice to me?”

Jongdae lets out a little puff of breath. “Because you deserve it?”

He makes some kind of squinty face, like he’s trying to get Jongdae into focus. “Alright,” he says finally. “I guess I can work with that. You’re just, you know, kind of weird?” Jongdae lifts an eyebrow. “No, not like that, oh my god.” Kyungsoo buries his face in his hands, and Tteok paws at his stomach in protest. “More like different, because some gay men don’t want to talk about things like this. Like they’re afraid that something bad will happen if they show that they have feelings. Like feelings are a feminine quality, and like feminine qualities are bad.”

“I think there’s a word for it? Toxic masculinity?” Jongdae says, nodding. “I try to stay off Grindr for that reason. I’d rather meet cute guys in the park and lure them in with a puppy.”

Kyungsoo side-eyes him. “I only trust that you’re not a serial killer because you’re friends with Baekhyun.”

Jongdae laughs. Kyungsoo’s sense of humor is subtle, but surprising, just like the rest of him. “You’re so damn cute. I really want to kiss you right now.”

The blush comes over Kyungsoo’s cheeks and ears quickly. Jongdae can see him getting redder by the second. “You could do that, if you wanted,” he mumbles, fingers stroking over Tteok’s nose.

“Should I?” Jongdae asks, unsure. Does Kyungsoo want this, or is he just allowing it? “Do you want me to?”

Kyungsoo’s face is wow, bright red. “Yes, I want you to kiss me, so hurry up and do it before I change my mind,” he grumbles.

Jongdae hesitates for a moment, but then carefully places the palm of his hand against Kyungsoo’s jaw and turns his head. Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter shut, and Jongdae kisses him. It’s slow, sweet, and syrupy, and Kyungsoo tastes like the coffee he had just half an hour ago.

Tteok whines, and they break apart, Kyungsoo giggling. “I’m sorry, should we pay more attention to you?” he says, stroking over Tteok’s silky ears. “You’ll have to learn to be more patient.”

\--

They’ve been dating for a few months when Baekhyun’s birthday comes around.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongdae calls out. Kyungsoo has his head stuck in the fridge, and is probably rearranging Jongdae’s condiments to his liking, again. “Do you want to go to Baekhyun’s birthday party?”

Kyungsoo pauses. “I’ve never gone to one of his birthday parties before.”

“Has he invited you before?” Jongdae asks, scrolling through various text messages. He looks over at the pasta boiling on the stove, and turns the heat down a little.

“Yes, but I’ve never gone,” Kyungsoo says slowly, withdrawing his head and shutting the fridge door. “Did you know that you own three-year-old mustard?”

Jongdae chews on his lower lip. “That would explain why I hadn’t met you at his parties. I’m assuming you have a reason why you’ve never gone? And no, I did not know that; you are free to throw it out.”

“Good,” Kyungsoo says, and dumps the offending mustard bottle in the trash. “I’d recycle, but I really don’t want to open that. Yes, I do have a reason.” He grips the bottom hem of his shirt, and tugs at it. “I’m friends with Baekhyun, but we’re not particularly close, I guess? He invites half the office, and I’ve always thought I’d be a little out of place.” Tteok takes this heavy moment to run into the room, favorite squeaky toy in his mouth. He’s gotten significantly larger in these few months, and when he collides with Kyungsoo’s legs, Kyungsoo is forced to take a few steps back.

As he watches Kyungsoo try and tug the toy from Tteok’s mouth playfully, Jongdae frowns. Kyungsoo seems to think that people don’t want to talk to him because he’s on the quieter side (which Jongdae has found is only really true when he’s around people he doesn’t know very well). He doesn’t want to force Kyungsoo into a situation that he’s uncomfortable in, but maybe Jongdae’s presence would be appreciated.

“Which brings me back to my original question, do you want to go with me? I’ll probably be going anyway, because I normally do, so if you did go, you would definitely have me to talk to,” Jongdae says, picking up a wooden spoon to stir the pasta a little.

Kyungsoo gives up on getting the toy from Tteok, and pulls the spinach out of the fridge. “Do you think there will be heavy drinking?” he asks, attention focused on his hands.

“This is Baekhyun we’re talking about, so probably. But it seems to get less and less every year. Maybe Baek is finally starting to realize that he’s not twenty anymore.”

“Then I guess I can go, yes,” Kyungsoo says with an air of finality. “But only because you’re going.”

Jongdae tackles him in a hug, and Tteok barks at their feet. “Thank you! We can always leave if you feel uncomfortable.”

“We’re in the kitchen, don’t do this,” Kyungsoo hisses, dragging him away from the stove. “Also, the pasta is probably done by now.”

“Then you check it,” Jongdae says, laying his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“You’re wrapped around me like a squid or something, how can I possibly do that?”

\--

“Am I dressed weirdly?” Kyungsoo asks, and Jongdae turns around. He’s wearing a nice pair of khaki pants and a navy blue shirt.

“Not at all,” Jongdae says, walking up to straighten his collar a little. “You look great, actually.”

Kyungsoo scowls. “You say that all the time. I can’t look great all the time.”

“Okay, but it’s my opinion, and I think you look great all the time, but especially great right now,” Jongdae says, grinning.

Rolling his eyes, Kyungsoo says, “Alright. You look nice, as well.”

“Thank you. Should I drive?” Jongdae asks, slipping his shoes on.

Kyungsoo hesitates. “Um. Can I stay over at your place tonight?”

“Obviously, yes.”

“Then you drive? Because then we can take your car, and go straight back,” Kyungsoo says. “Plus you’ll need to let Tteok out.”

“Good point,” Jongdae says, furrowing his eyebrows. “He should be fine for a while, though. Shall we go?”

“Mhmm.”

On the way to Baekhyun’s apartment, Jongdae notices that Kyungsoo is gripping his legs pretty tightly, but he decides not to say anything and just keep up their conversation. Knowing Kyungsoo, he’ll just protest if Jongdae offers to turn around.

Baekhyun is already a little tipsy when he answers his front door. “Hi! Oh, Kyungsoo, I’m glad you could come!” he says loudly, and ushers them in.

“Yes, well, I wasn’t busy, and Jongdae said I should come, so,” Kyungsoo says quietly. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you! Now, before you start yelling at me,” Baekhyun says, turning to Jongdae, “I’m not going to get much drunker than this. Just enough to enjoy myself, you know?” He winks sleazily.

“You’re disgusting,” Kyungsoo mutters, and both Baekhyun and Jongdae laugh. Kyungsoo’s expression looks pained. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”

Baekhyun pats him on the back. “Don’t worry, Kyungsoo, I already know that I’m gross. I won’t hold it against you. Minseok is here, by the way, if you want to talk to him.” He waves a hand over to a corner of the room, and wanders off in the direction of his kitchen.

Jongdae vaguely remembers Minseok from last year. “Want to do that?” he asks, and Kyungsoo nods.

“Besides Baekhyun, he’s probably the one I’m closest to,” he says. “Um. Do you want to get anything to drink?”

Jongdae is still driving home, but he should be fine if he only has one beer and a whole lot of water. Plus, they ate before coming. “Just a beer, because I’m driving. You want anything?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Not at the moment,” he says, and grabs Jongdae’s hand, which is just about the most adorable thing ever. “Let’s go over there.”

“Sure,” Jongdae says absentmindedly. He just needs a moment to process just how wonderful Kyungsoo is. Kyungsoo looks at him funny, so he just shrugs and tugs him in the direction of Minseok.

“Kyungsoo!” Minseok says, when he sees them. “And, you’re one of Baekhyun’s friends as well. What was your name, again? We don’t see each other very often.”

Jongdae lets out a light chuckle. “No, we really don’t. I’m Jongdae, and I don’t know if he told you, but Kyungsoo and I started dating a few months ago,” he says, lifting up their linked hands. The tips of Kyungsoo’s ears are red, and he tugs at his collar. Jongdae bites the inside of cheek. Is he nervous?

Minseok gives Kyungsoo a sly glare. “He mentioned that he was in a relationship, but he did not specify with whom,” he says. “I would have recognized your name.”

“I really didn’t think you would know him,” Kyungsoo grumbles, dropping Jongdae’s hand. He takes a seat in a nearby chair, and Jongdae moves behind him to rest his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

“You would be surprised. Speaking of which, it’s funny how both of you knew Baekhyun, but because Kyungsoo has never come to one of his parties, you had never met before,” Minseok comments, leaning back on the wall. He takes a sip of the drink in his hand. “I keep telling you to come out with us more often, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo’s shoulders tense. It’s obvious that Minseok is just trying to be nice and make some playful conversation, but the way he’s phrased it makes it difficult for Kyungsoo to give a reply.

“The thing is, though, I don’t think we would have started dating if we met through Baekhyun,” Jongdae says cheerfully, in attempts to defuse the slight tension. “Baekhyun has that effect on people, you know. We actually met in the park near both of our apartments. I was out walking my dog, and Kyungsoo really likes dogs.”

Kyungsoo’s shoulders relax. Jongdae can’t see his face, but he can hear the smile in his words. “Jongdae’s dog is named Tteok; he’s very cute.”

Minseok laughs. “I like your strategy, Jongdae. Seduce them with a puppy. Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book. I’ve been single for a while now.”

“I thought you had a cat?” Kyungsoo asks, and Jongdae nearly snorts at his accusing tone. “Use that.”

“Well I can’t exactly take my cat on a walk,” Minseok says. “Anyway, it’s nice to see you somewhere that isn’t work. You seem a little happier.”

“I’ll take the credit for that,” Jongdae grins, kneading Kyungsoo’s shoulder muscles.

Eventually a slightly tipsier Baekhyun calls them all over for cake, and Jongdae gets to watch Kyungsoo carefully licking the frosting off of his fork. He snaps a secret picture; he has an idea for this later.

In the low lighting of the room, Kyungsoo’s cheeks look rosy, he has even managed to crack a smile, something he usually only does in the presence of Tteok. Although he may have been a little uncomfortable to start with, Jongdae thinks this might have been a good idea after all. Yeah, Kyungsoo is an introvert, but that doesn’t mean he’s antisocial. He’ll probably just want to go to bed early when they get home, and that’s perfectly fine with Jongdae.

Later they’re sitting around Baekhyun’s apartment. Kyungsoo has been pressed, and has accepted, a glass of wine (which might actually explain his pink cheeks), and he’s cradling the glass in his hands while everyone talks.

“I can’t believe she had the audacity to say that,” one of Baekhyun’s friends says. Jongdae doesn’t know this girl, but she seems nice. “Why in hell would she tell you that you shouldn’t be wearing makeup?”

“I dunno,” Baekhyun replies, inspecting his nails. He’s a little more sober now, thankfully. “I just told her to suck my sparkly toes and walked off with my coffee. I can’t help it that I look great and feel better with a little foundation on.”

“Exactly!” the girl explodes. “Makeup is about feeling good about your appearance. You certainly aren’t doing it for her, so why should she care?”

“Not everyone is as woke as you,” another one of Baekhyun’s friends says, and everyone laughs.

“Kyungsoo, have I ever told you that you’re real hot when you laugh?” the first girl says. “I should look up some jokes so you do it more often.”

“Is it honestly hour now?” Baekhyun groans, slumping in his seat.

Kyungsoo coughs. “Sorry. Um? No, you haven’t?”

Jongdae wraps an arm around his shoulders, and glares at the girl jokingly. “You can’t have him, he’s mine.”

“Shame,” she says. “He’s so cute, but so serious. You should hang out with us more often, Kyungsoo.”

“Uh, okay?” he says. “I’d rather go to Jongdae’s and play with his dog, though.” Jongdae doesn’t think he meant it as a joke, but everyone laughs anyway.

“Damn, he’s got a dog and he’s good looking? No wonder you two are dating,” the same girl jokes. “Anyway, back to Baekhyun, since it’s his damn birthday.”

“I let you into my home, and this is how you repay me?” Baekhyun shrieks.

\--

“That was exhausting,” Kyungsoo says as they take off their shoes near the door of Jongdae’s apartment. He can see Tteok dozing in the living room, and he’ll need to wake him up to take him out to pee before they go to bed. “I think I was put on the spot around three times.”

Jongdae hums. “Was that a bad thing?”

“Not bad,” Kyungsoo says hesitating. “More just uncomfortable. That’s part of the reason why I never want to go to their parties.” He heads over to the kitchen for a glass of water, and Jongdae is happy that he treats his apartment like his own. The first time Kyungsoo had come over, he had been hesitant to sit on the couch.

“I can see that. Maybe you could go to just one a month, or something? I’ll go with you, if you like,” Jongdae offers, joining Kyungsoo in the kitchen. He has a glass of cold water with ice inside, and is pressing it to his warm cheeks.

“That would be nice,” Kyungsoo says softly. “You don’t have to do that, though.”

Jongdae shrugs. “Well, Baekhyun is there, too, and Minseok is pretty cool, so I really don’t mind. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to.” He takes a few steps closer until he’s in Kyungsoo’s immediate personal space, and wraps his arms around his waist. “If you have anything you want me to go to, as well, you can ask. I’m free pretty much all of the time.”

“Tteok being your only limitation?” Kyungsoo says with a quirk of his eyebrow. “I seem to remember you saying that we had to leave because ‘sorry, guys, my dog has to pee.’” Jongdae grunts.

“I said that because you looked tired, and I assumed you weren’t going to say anything.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo says. “Thank you. I feel like I should been doing more for you, now.”

Jongdae burps quietly. “You’re good. Do what you want. I don’t mind.” He’s getting tired, but oh, Tteok still needs to go outside. He disentangles himself and gestures towards his living room. “I’m going to take Tteok out now; he needs to pee before we go to bed. You know where the pajamas are, right?”

Kyungsoo nods, and Jongdae notices that despite the glass of cold water, he’s still bright red. He smiles to himself as he goes to put on his shoes again. “Tteok,” he calls softly.

The dog yawns, and stretches, but stays where he is. Jongdae sighs, and walks over. “Hey, buddy,” he whispers, rubbing Tteok’s ears. “We gotta go to the bathroom. Walkies?” he suggests. Tteok’s ears perk, and he gets to his feet, tail wagging slowly. Jongdae grins.

When he gets back inside, Tteok having successfully emptied his bladder, Kyungsoo is there to open the door for him, with a toothbrush in his mouth. He’s already in pajamas (which are just a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, but Jongdae thinks he looks cute anyway).

“Good walk?” he says around the toothbrush, and Jongdae nods.

“Yeah. He’s tired out, though. Poor bub,” he chuckles. “Ready for bed.”

“I’m tired, too, so I can’t blame him,” Kyungsoo says. Jongdae releases Tteok from his leash, then follows Kyungsoo into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

They stand side by side, and Jongdae watches as Kyungsoo’s eyelids start to droop. He takes the toothbrush out of his mouth to give him a kiss on the cheek, leaving a bit of toothpaste behind.

“Jongdae!” Kyungsoo yelps, wiping at his face. He glares at Jongdae. “What was that for?”

Jongdae cackles. “You were looking sleepy. You still need to make it into the bedroom, old man.”

“You’re older than me,” Kyungsoo mutters, but manages to finish brushing his teeth. He spits in the sink, and rinses. Jongdae follows, and pats his butt as they walk to Jongdae’s bedroom.

Tteok is already waiting for them on Jongdae’s bed. Jongdae had managed to keep him in his crate all night when he was in the middle of learning how to pee outside, but once Tteok had mastered that, Jongdae could no longer resist the sad eyes he made every time he shut the bedroom door at night. So now Tteok took up around fifty percent of the bed, even though he was still much smaller than an adult human.

“Thanks for waiting, buddy,” Kyungsoo says softly, sitting down on the bed next to Tteok and scratching his ears. As Jongdae changed into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts himself, he heard Tteok’s tail thumping against the bed. All is good in the world when your dog likes your boyfriend.

Jongdae climbs into bed and under the covers, and Kyungsoo joins him, careful not to disturb Tteok, who is happily settling in near their feet. “I swear, whenever I sleep with the both of you, I get significantly less sleep,” Jongdae jokes. “I should make both of you sleep on the floor.”

Kyungsoo just grunts and snuggles closer to him. “You signed up for this. Kick Tteok out if you really care that much.”

“I mean, if I had to pick who to kick out...”

Kyungsoo kicks him and Jongdae fixes it with a kiss.

\--

Jongdae wakes up fairly early in the morning to, of course, Tteok kicking in his sleep. He opens his eyes, and the first thing he sees is Kyungsoo on his side with his arm curled around Tteok, who looks like he’s having a very exciting dream.

He snorts. Just his luck, but holy fuck is this cute. He rubs gently on Tteok’s forehead, and he stops kicking, but Kyungsoo is already blinking sleepily.

“Morning,” Jongdae says quietly. It’s still fairly dark, but he can still see each and every one of Kyungsoo’s eyelashes. “You can go back to sleep, if you’d like.”

“Mm,” Kyungsoo grunts, and shuts his eyes again. Jongdae scoots closer to the pair, and throws his arm over both. He thinks he’ll go back to sleep, as well.

\--

Later that week Jongdae pulls up the picture of Kyungsoo licking frosting off his fork. He gets out a spoon, dunks it in peanut butter, and holds it up to Tteok at a similar angle. As Tteok licks, he snaps another photo.

Bringing up his photo editor, he places the two photos side by side for comparison, saves it, and then sends it off to Kyungsoo with the caption:

_i see no difference._

He gets a reply an hour later.

_Why have you done this_

\--

It’s been about five months since they started dating. Jongdae wonders where all of the time has gone, because honestly it sometimes seems like he met Kyungsoo in the park just yesterday.

Jongdae and Tteok are going over to Kyungsoo’s apartment instead of the opposite because Kyungsoo insists that his kitchen is better equipped (Jongdae is a respectable adult who has plenty of kitchen supplies. Who needs a garlic press, anyway?). Anyway, he has really started to appreciate the short distance between their apartments, because it means that he can just walk Tteok over, no driving required.

Kyungsoo answers the door in all black, except for his apron, which is blue. Jongdae thinks he looks very cute. “Hi, Tteok,” he says, bending down and patting his head. “How are you doing, buddy?”

“What am I, a pack mule?” Jongdae complains, slipping off his shoes. “What are you making, and can I help?”

Kyungsoo straightens, a hint of a smile on his face. Jongdae knows this look; it means that Kyungsoo thinks his joke was funny but he’s purposefully being serious just to make Jongdae a little mad. It’s cute. “I’m making a fancy pasta dish, and no, you cannot help. That’s not the point of this,” he says, and grabs Jongdae by the shoulder. He hesitates for a moment, then pulls Jongdae in for a kiss. “Hi, by the way.”

Jongdae grins. “Hi back. Seriously, can I help in any way?”

Kyungsoo relents. “I suppose you can chop onions, if you don’t mind,” he says, allowing Jongdae to step further into the apartment. It’s on the smaller side, but every time Jongdae visits, he likes it a little bit more. “And as much as I like him, make sure Tteok doesn’t get underfoot.”

“You have a good point there,” Jongdae laughs. “He keeps getting bigger, and I keep tripping more often. And to think, he still has about four months before he’s fully grown.”

“He’s going to be pretty big, then,” Kyungsoo says, staring down at Tteok, who is hovering around his knees, probably looking for a bit of food. “I guess that means trips to the park more often, huh?”

Jongdae plops down at Kyungsoo’s kitchen table, and picks up the knife lying there. “Got that right,” he agrees, “He’s already very energetic. I think I need to start saving up for a house or something.”

“The condo isn’t big enough?” Kyungsoo asks, humming as he stirs something in a pan.

“It would be better if I had a backyard,” Jongdae says, attempting to chop the onion into same-sized bits. He’s never really quite mastered it. “But I guess that will have to wait until much later. On my own, I can’t see myself having enough income for a house for at least another five years.”

“Hmm,” Kyungsoo agrees absentmindedly. “Are you done with that onion?”

“Nearly,” Jongdae says, speeding up, but not too much, because he doesn’t want to cut any of his fingers. He’s been there, and he doesn’t want to go there again. “What are you putting in there, anyway?”

“Good stuff,” Kyungsoo says with a straight face. “You can just taste it when I finish, alright?”

Offering up the now finished onions, Jongdae sighs dramatically. “I guess that’s fine.”

Tteok runs in holding one of Kyungsoo’s slippers in his mouth, and he deposits it neatly at Kyungsoo’s feet. Kyungsoo looks down, one eyebrow raised. “And why have you decided to give me my slipper?” he asks, and Jongdae immediately clamps a hand over his own mouth so he doesn’t giggle or something dumb like that. He wants this moment to play out to fruition.

Tteok barks, and Kyungsoo sighs, then reaches down to pet him. “Just don’t do this on the regular, okay?”

“I’m really starting to think you like Tteok more than me,” Jongdae comments, leaning back in his seat. “Can I have that kind of affection?”

Kyungsoo looks up, a slightly panicked expression on his face. “No, that’s not true. Tteok is Tteok, and he’s sweet so I love him, but dogs are different than humans, right? I love you differently. It’s like loving your kids versus--” His eyes bug out. “Wait.”

Jongdae blinks. “Did you just say that you love me?”

Kyungsoo winces, and Tteok licks at his fingers. “Yes?”

Jongdae leaps from his seat and throws his arms around Kyungsoo’s torso. Tteok is trapped between their legs in the process, and he wriggles happily. “That’s amazing,” Jongdae says quietly. “I’m glad you told me, even though you probably didn’t mean to.”

Kyungsoo’s arms wrap around his chest. “Maybe not at this moment, but I do. Love you. I, um. It wasn’t supposed to be like that?”

He can feel Kyungsoo’s heart pounding where their bodies come into contact. “That’s fine. I love you, too,” Jongdae says, and the beat of his heart matches Kyungsoo’s, and it’s like they’re blasting off into space together. He pulls back just enough to kiss Kyungsoo full on the mouth, and Kyungsoo responds, hands making fists in Jongdae’s shirt.

Something pops in the pan on the stove, and Kyungsoo breaks away. “Oh no, I forgot. Did it burn?” He picks up a spatula to move the food around a little, but one hand remains on Jongdae’s waist, and it’s kind of the best thing ever.

\--

“I think it’s been a little more than a year since I got Tteok,” Jongdae muses on night. They’re curled up on Jongdae’s couch, all three of them. “How did he get this big?” Tteok really is large now. Not as big as some other dogs, but definitely big enough to take Jongdae down, especially if he isn’t paying attention. Occasionally he misses the puppy days, but this is kind of better.

Kyungsoo counts something on his fingers. “Which means that we met around a year ago, didn’t we?” he asks, looking up at Jongdae. He has his head on Jongdae’s shoulder, and Tteok is nestled in the space in between them. Jongdae can feel his tail smacking against his legs.

“You’re right,” Jongdae says, reaching up to pat Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo pulls his hand down in annoyance, but links their fingers together. “I’m still not sure that you like me more than my dog,” he jokes.

Kyungsoo smacks him. “I definitely like you more than I like your dog,” he says quietly, and Jongdae kisses his forehead.

They’ve been dating for about a year, huh? That’s pretty impressive, considering Jongdae’s previous track record. He should probably figure out the exact day, and then do something special. It’s just, they do special things all of the time, so he’ll have to think of something extra special...

“Do you want to move in with me?” Jongdae blurts out, and immediately regrets it a little bit. Probably not the best way to ask.

Kyungsoo looks at him with wide eyes. “What?”

Jongdae gives a little cough. Now that he thinks about it, moving in together might not be such a bad idea. “Do you want to move in with me?” he repeats.

“Why?” Kyungsoo asks, chewing on his lip. Jongdae reaches up and stops him, then kisses it to make it better.

“Why not?” Jongdae asks, gaining confidence. “You’re here all the time anyway,” he says. It’s true; Kyungsoo stays over at least three out of seven days a week. “You don’t really like your apartment, my kitchen is bigger, and I have Tteok.”

“But,” Kyungsoo starts, and stops. He looks a little frustrated. “I don’t know what I’m trying to say. Do you want me to move in with you, and why?”

Jongdae blinks. “Do you not want to? That’s totally fine.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “No, that’s not it. I know why I want to move in with you, but why do you want me to move in?”

“Oh,” Jongdae says, and he can feel himself turning a little red. Did Kyungsoo just suggest that he wanted to move in? “Well. Because I like you, and we’ve been dating for a year now, and we work well together. Not just emotionally, but as a team,” he says honestly. “And I think that living together would not only be taking the next step in our relationship, but it would solidify it as well.” As impromptu as it was, his little speech was pretty good.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo says, staring at him.

“And because I love you,” Jongdae adds in. He grins, and squeezes Kyungsoo’s hand. “Can’t forget that.”

Kyungsoo takes a moment to process all of this: Jongdae can almost literally see his neurons firing. “Yes,” he says suddenly. “I want to move in with you. For all the reasons you said. Especially because I love you too.”

Jongdae can’t help but kiss him, and he can feel Kyungsoo’s smile against his lips. It’s the best feeling, really; he thinks his heart is going to float off into the stars. Tteok barks, and they break apart, both laughing.

“I’m sorry, do you want some love, too,” Kyungsoo asks, ruffling his ears. His smile is maybe the biggest Jongdae has ever seen, and his heart takes off on a rocket ship to the moon.

**Author's Note:**

> t h a n k s f o r r e a d i n g my fluff!!


End file.
